The Waco daily examiner. [volume] (Waco, Tex.) 187?-1888, 1887-10-04
The Tc\as Water supply,

tha, the state is dry countrv-a
drou'hy country. This established,
then bat two tAings are possible with
u a, people. Either we must over
come the natural drawback of lack
%. water by a-tiii ,ial means or we
must change the whole business pur-
suits OF the state. We must abandon
farming operations to great exten
and devote ourselves to stock raising
or we mu -upp,y by artificial means.
the water necessary to ordinary agri
cultural operations. There has been
no competent season. "a we use the
word in Texas, siucc - A drouth
of more or less severity has prevailed
every year since that date. It is now
the close Of -. FIVE years OF partial
crops, five years of practical failure
is enough to put the people to think
ing If there is anything which man
can do 10 soften the situation. to an
eliorote the hard conditions which
surround the farmer of Texas. 1t
isu enough to say that our soils
stand the drouth letter than any in
the world which we believe j. a fact.
ltNiB or water is necessary sometimes
in order that we may meet
| the conditions which render crop
possibility. We are not far enough
cast to give us the advantage of the
rain belt. our prevailing winds are
south and these with ever % little
westering' give us an atmosphere
which has blown over the arid plains
of Mexico for three thousand miles
and which is OF course robbed of
every semDlance of moisture before it
gets here. This atmosphere cannot
produce rain. There is none in it
The currents must go east to secure
| the needed vapor, or we get it some
| times from the north, northwest or
northeast from local storms prevail
Ing in these directions. But these
are unreliable ana generally made
quate. Thus does it seem that Texas
is peculiarly and particularly subject
cd TO the great draw back of droUths
The energ! and the intelligence of
the people can surely find no grayer
or more important enterprise than to
iiud competent remedy. Every in
telligence, every fabric of muscle and
every dollar of money should be eX-
pended in the effort to overcome
| thu, great natural drawn ick, this
| great impeachment to our agricultural
success. 1h3 whole question, in our
judgment, hinges upon the existence
| OF competent subterranean supply of
water We do not mcal simply the
surface drip, or seap, but the great
water basin hidden deep in the bosom
of the earth and whose sources are
! found far to the north or beginning
| perhaps at the base OF the Rockies or
| coming possibly from the bed of the
great lakes or from the great water
store houses from whence are fc :! the
| mighty rivers viii 3h flow from the
north to the.s nth. All this supply is
not carried of in the currents of the
| south flowing rivers. Its subtCrra-
| mean seapage is rs sure as the surface
low and is governed primarily by the
same natural laws. This being the
case q competent exploration OF the
basin will reveal Il surely and inevita-
bly,. 1t is this slppy that We must
reach by srtesisn wells, because the
surface sespage Is so impregnated
with alkali and other salts
aud minerals that the water is whole,
some for neither beast nor vegeia.
ton.
These wells cannot be put down by
private means so as to furnish gene
RAJ relief. Something else is neces-
sary, Some other mean, must be in
vokei. TIE EXAMINER has, in pre-
vious articles, demonstrated fully
that this is the work of the state, and
that it is perfectly reasonable and
feasible. We rel DICE that a certain
interest has been awakened. and men
are beginning to ask seriously if we
may not yet realize this great boon.
We rejoice, also, that practical aud in
teiligent men of this state are at work,
and soon the entire subject will be il
lustrated and 50 shown up that there
eau no longer exist the smalleat doubt
on the momentous subject. There is
soon to be a meeting called at some
accessible point in the state, aud all
Interested directly in the enterprise
will be invited to be present. Speed
the day,
THE News keeps up with the legal |
9. onc in tho Casa az Tho -toto